Not all performances are world class

Day 15 – One to forget

What a day. I mean that in the most dejected and disappointed way possible. Round of 16 tomorrow. Its almost like the teams that played today were so ready for it they tried everything they could to be at home in front of the television when it starts.

Winners:

Nobody – Shortly after we had a day where there were no losers we have a day where there were no winners. Two scoreless draws, poor play, and teams doomed from the start. The Ivory Coast’s 3 – 0 victory over North Korea was meaningless and the the Spanish victory was marred by boring keep away following the needless red card. Thank the Soccer Gods for the round of 16 where ties are not acceptable and courage is rewarded.

Losers:

Claudio Bravo – He had no business going that far out from the goal. Had he stayed put and kept Chile’s morale from sinking, the game may have had an entirely different outcome.

Anyone who watched the Portugal vs. Brazil game – What a snooze-fest. ESPN Gamecast commentary degraded to discussion of books and food. That’s how boring the game was.

Europe – Congratulations to the six European teams that made it this far. you are the survivors. Just four years ago 10 European squads made it through to the group stage. This year more teams made it from the Americas (7: USA, Mexico, and 5 South American teams) than from Europe. I wish I had a statistician on staff because I would bet that is the first time in a long time that has happened.